Please find below the full and current version of the University of Southampton ethics policy. This policy links to our policy for using animals in research and teaching which can be found below.
The University of Southampton is committed to benefitting communities across the world, through innovative research and eduction and the continuous pursuit of excellence in all its work. As part of facilitating advances in science and medical knowledge, the university uses animals in some of its activities.
The university does not use animals in research or teaching where a viable alternative can be used. Animals can only be used after an ethical review that weighs the possible benefits against the likely harms. The university actively develops alternatives to using animals and promotes a culture of care to ensure compassion and respect for both the animals used in research and teaching and the staff using them. This is key to the welfare of laboratory animals and aids the university in improving the quality of data obtained from the research it conducts.
More information on the importance of a culture of care can be found here on a page produced by UAR. The university continues its work in defining and implementing its own culture of care, more information on the work we are doing can be found on the follow page here.
All animal use is scruitinised using the 3Rs framework: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. This involes a commitment to replacing and avoiding animal use whereever possible, reducing animal numbers to the minimum required to answer the scientific question, minimising animal suffering and imporving welfare.
The AWERB ensures that any animal use is carried out with scientific rigour and according to ethical principles, including weighing the potential benefits of the activity against the likely harm to the animals concerned.
This policy applies to all university staff and students who are engaged in research and education involving animals, either directly or indirectly. It includes the following:
The principles applied by the university when using animals in research.
The responsibilities the university, staff and students have to animals, legislation and research and the standards the university expects of any using animals.
Which processes would be followed if there should be a failure to comply with the provisions of this policy.
Information on the AWERB - its roles and how it challenges all researchers to justify using animals.
The roles and responsibilities of Named Person, licence holders and those at the university involved in complying with the policy.
How the university promotes a culture of care and welfare for animals, staff, and students.
Read the university's full policy for using animals in research here